The origins of St. Jude Parish in Columbiana can be traced to the first meeting of the Catholic Women’s Guild in Columbiana, which occurred on November 15, 1953. While the group is primarily a social organization, it quickly mobilized around the mission of building a Catholic church in the community and began raising funds.
The Columbiana Council of Catholic Men was founded five years later, and they also joined the cause. They petitioned Bishop Emmet Walsh in July 1959 to form a parish. He granted permission for the group to select a site for a Catholic church in February 1960, and ten acres of land were eventually purchased for it on Seventh Street. The parish began as a mission of St. Patrick Parish in Leetonia and, as such, it was originally known as St. Patrick’s Mission. The first Mass of the new mission church was celebrated in the all-purpose room of Joshua Dixon Elementary School on November 6, 1960, with 75 people in attendance.
Fundraising for the construction of a brick church began in 1962 and, in 1965, the name of the community changed to St. Jude Mission. The first Mass was celebrated in the new church in 1970 and, since then, the parish and its property has undergone many changes, including extensive renovations in 2018. Today, the parish continues to be served by its women’s guild as well as the Knights of Columbus Council 10183. In addition to the parish fish fry, other important events for the parish include a Christmas festival, its educational series, vocations apostolates and the monthly community meal. St. Jude Parish has been collaborating with Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in East Palestine since 2009. The parish’s dedication to Saint Jude Thaddeus reflects the community’s wish to carry on the Apostolic mission of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
